Wednesday, March 14, 2001

Chamber members make annual trek to Capitol By CAROLYN CARY ccary@TheCitizenNews.com The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce last week took its annual Dome Roam to the state Capitol. Twenty business and civic leaders spent the day talking with county legislators including Sen. Greg Hecht, Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland and Rep. Kathy Cox. The trip was arranged by Tyler Duffy, chamber Legislative Action Committee chairman. During lunch, state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine spoke. He commended the group for being interested enough to visit the Legislature and said they should stay informed for their families' and the community's sake. "You can make a difference," he said, "and the Legislature needs to know you're the boss. In my case, I have eight million bosses. I take my responsibilities very seriously in looking after nursing homes, hospitals, small finance companies and the general safety of those eight million citizens. "Government should be a catalyst to people who have safety, health and other consumer concerns," he added. In order to meet these concerns, his office is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the telephones are manned with "real people." It is the only state agency open these hours. Westmoreland, the House minority leader, said the Fayette Chamber is always the biggest delegation to visit from Fayette County. Cox explained her bill to be read that day, concerning a child endangerment statute. It would make the abuse of children a criminal charge instead of the current misdemeanor charge. Since it was the 33rd day of the 2001 legislature, and the last day to enter a bill to be considered, the representatives thanked the chamber for its input and traveled back across the street to their desks. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page